In the latest development in the war in Israel, the Yemeni Armed Forces, which work alongside the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, have officially declared war on Israel.
Israel has already reported intercepting missiles coming out of Yemen since the war started.
See here:
The @IAFsite intercepted a surface-to-surface missile in the area of the Red Sea. This is the first operational interception by the Arrow Aerial Defense System since the beginning of the war.
An additional aerial threat was successfully intercepted by IAF fighter jets in the…
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 31, 2023
Here is the footage circulating on X of the Yemeni Armed Force’s declaration of war:
BREAKING: YEMEN DECLARED THEY ARE NOW AT WAR WITH ISRAEL
The Republic of Yemen is the first country officially to announce its entry into the “Battle of the Flood” of Al-Aqsa and launches a large number of ballistic and winged missiles and drones at a number of Israeli IOF… pic.twitter.com/A7p1HmQgCA
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) October 31, 2023
ABC News shares more on the story:
Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the first time Tuesday claimed missile and drone attacks targeting Israel, drawing their main sponsor Iran closer into the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and further raising the risks of a regional conflict erupting.
The Houthis had been suspected of an attack earlier this month targeting Israel by sending missiles and drones over the crucial shipping lane of the Red Sea, an assault that saw the U.S. Navy shoot down the projectiles.
This time on Tuesday, however, Israel said its own fighter jets and its new Arrow missile defense system shot down two salvos of incoming fire hours apart as it approached the country’s key Red Sea shipping port of Eilat.
The Houthis, who have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 as part of that country’s ruinous war, claimed three attacks on Israel in a later military statement, without elaborating on the timeframe of the operations and whether Tuesday’s salvos represented one or two attacks.
This news is highly alarming.
It only shows that this was not escalating.
Many, including myself, hoped this conflict would be over quickly.
However, now that the Yemeni rebels have joined in, the concern about Iran joining continues to grow.
Many Pro-Palestine individuals on X have shown their support of Yemeni rebels joining the war:
The poor Arab country has come to the aid of the Palestinians.
The rest 20 Arab countries.
Do you hear me?😏#FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/a1ytsLjHYI— Yemen Is My Motherland (@MotherlandYemen) October 31, 2023
Here are photos of missiles that the IDF has intercepted:
Jordan intercepted a cruise missile that was fired from Yemen towards Israel.
Israel's Arab Shield Activated. pic.twitter.com/HNPiglHkrx
— Iran Observer (@IranObserver0) October 31, 2023
More from NBC News on the war:
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said the missile was intercepted by Israel’s Arrow air defense system, which was jointly developed by Israel and the U.S. The IDF confirmed that a surface-to-surface missile had been fired toward Israeli territory from the direction of the Red Sea, but not did specify whether it had originated in Yemen.
The U.S. officials said the missile, which had a range of 2,000 kilometers (about 1,240 miles) or more, did not threaten U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea or U.S. troops or personnel in the area.
I hope that Iran continues to stay out of the conflict and that Israel can end it swiftly.
If Iran enters the war, it is uncertain whether America will join.
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!